Repurposing colonial tea heritage through historic lodging

Abstract

A number of types of lodging and leisure facilities were associated with the colonial tea industry in Ceylon (today Sri Lanka), including clubs for the planters' and the houses and bungalows of the managers and staff on the tea estates. Today some of these built heritage remains of the tea industry have been repurposed as heritage lodgings for tourists. Taking as a case study the tea-producing hill country of Sri Lanka, this paper identifies the heritage accommodations related to the legacy of the tea industry and discusses their role in heritage tourism, interpreting the region's tea heritage and industry to contemporary visitors. The paper draws from previous research on “tea character accommodations” and subsequent field-work in the region with tea lodging operators and tourism officials, focusing on operational challenges faced in repurposing historic lodgings for contemporary visitors. Lessons are offered for the sustainable reuse of built heritage associated with agricultural activities for the purpose of heritage lodgings.